Rush week
Holiday rituals, final '25 Restaurant Rush, Brooklyn Granary & Mill, Evelina, QC NY Spa, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Holiday ritual
Part of our mission at FOUND is to be early visitors to new and notable spots around town. So when Josh first raised the question of where we should have this year’s FOUND holiday lunch, it seemed like an easy call: book a big table at a hot restaurant. That’s what we did last year, when the team circled up around an eight-top at then-brand new Leon’s by Union Square (above).
But as we got to talking about it, we realized there was something kind of perfect about our setup at Leon’s last year — good holiday decor in an airy dining room, an easy but interesting menu that suits almost all appetites, and the warmth of the staff, some of whom we knew from the owners’ first restaurant (and FOUND favorite) Anton’s in the West Village. Could we just do the FOUND holiday meal again at Leon’s?
Wednesday night last week, I met up with two old friends at the bar of Peter Luger Steakhouse in Williamsburg for a separate holiday ritual. This year marked our 18th year meeting there for dinner during the holidays. For our crew, there remains something special about Luger that’s lost in recent food media takedowns of the place (the steak still easily rated a nine, though it must be noted that this was the first time I’ve ever seen empty tables in the dining room). In 2025, few restaurants can match Luger’s own insistence on doing things the way they’ve been done. This year, as in the 17 years past, we all delighted in our separate, pre-meal pilgrimages to the ATM to procure the cash payment Luger still requires.
Sometimes, even with long-held traditions, a shakeup is in order. For the better part of a decade, I had met with another group of friends for a holiday lunch at Lure Fishbar in Soho. Last year, scheduling conflicts prompted us to pivot the meal to dinner at Cha Cha Tang’s. It was a worthy choice, but this year, the streak snapped, we opted for another new John McDonald restaurant, Seahorse at the W Union Square. It turned out to be one of our favorite gatherings yet, the energy of a packed dining room at a hot new restaurant at the height of the season taking the evening over the top.
Following these two meals, on Friday, I made my way back to the Union Square area and walked through the doors of Leon’s for our FOUND lunch. In the end, Josh and I decided that the pleasing knownness of Leon’s was the right call for this December Friday. The FOUND team gathered around our big table up against the windows looking onto Broadway, and we took in the bracing salads (including a new standout with citrus and dates), sliced steaks, and familiar swirls of tagliolini with sea beans.
As Josh dropped the FOUND credit card, I reflected on another year in New York City, and the rituals of our lives here. For traditions old and newly formed, this is why we do it. –Lockhart Steele
NYC RESTAURANT LINKS: In Nolita, longstanding cool kids spot Cafe Gitane has shuttered • Parisian cafe Fauchon opens by Bryant Park • Four Charles Prime Rib readying new Miami outpost to open this winter • Anchovies belong in your martini.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurant Rush, late 2025
9 hot openings for the season
Stars (East Village), cozy new wine bar w/ short menu from Claud and Penny team, walk-ins only